Love
by Claude Amelia Song
Summary: Hermione saves Lucius'life at the Battle of Hogwarts. They soon become friends and maybe more. But what about Narcissa?


**This is written for Sam, my wonderful beta as a birthday gift. I really hope you will like it.**

 **Happy belated birthday!**

 ** _I used her and mine OTP Lucius/Hermione, Romance, Friendship, Family, Hurt/comfort_**

 ** _And I will use jealousy, happy ending, Marriage Law_**

 _Also for Arranged Marriage Hermione and Lucius_

 _The Ministry of Magic. Planning skills :Task: Write a story where your characters are planning for something big, like a wedding._

 _The Ultimate patronus Challenge:15. Pixie: Write about a non-canon pairing._

 _The New Year Zodiac Writing Challenge Snake. Write about any major Slytherin character. Include 'fire' in your story._

 _Word count:1746_

While the others celebrated Hermione walked through the ruins of Hogwarts towards the Forbidden Forest. Neither she, Harry and Ron felt like celebrating. Not after the price they have paid for this celebration. The defeat of the Dark Lord Voldemort was paid with the blood of so many people. People she had known or not.

She couldn't remain in the Great Hall any longer, so she had left. Ron had stayed with his family, mourning Fred, Hermione clocked a sob; and so had Harry. It was not that she was an intruder, she was part of the family, but she had felt the need to be alone, to think. So many have died that night and by a miracle she was not one of them. But Fred, Remus, Tonks they were all dead and tears streamed down her face thinking of little Teddy, now an orphan.

And more tears felt thinking of her own parents. A moan to her left distracted her from her dark thoughts. She rushed to where the sound came to help, but what she found shocked her.

There was laying on the ground, bloodied and cold, Lucius Malfoy, a Death Eater and a loyal servant of the Dark Lord. Hermione didn't hesitate and run to his side to help him.

Yes, he was a Death Eater and he was responsible for many deaths and cries, but he was human still and as she looked at him she couldn't help but help him. She was sure he would die if his wounds weren't treated immediately; he must have been there for the duration of the battle, but what could have happened? Who would hurt Lucius Malfoy? After all he was a skilled duelist and very few dared to provoke him.

He looked so vulnerable in her eyes, more vulnerable than she had ever seen him and with a jolt she realised that he was at her mercy. He couldn't fight back and no one was around, but Hermione would never do something like that. Because she cared and because he was human. He most definitely looked so and for an unknown reason she felt herself drawn to him, drawn to help him.

And so she did.

* * *

Lucius woke up to someone tenderly washing his chest. Was he dead? Was the first thing he asked himself. Because no one, no one had ever touched him so tender, so innocent. Every touch he had received had come with a price. And none had been tender, or just a touch.

So he tried to open his eyes to see this mysterious person and figure it out what was the price he needed to pay. And he would. Whoever was had saved his life, of that Lucius had no doubt. He knew he had been hurt pretty badly, he hadn't expected the attack, he hadn't even seen it coming. He had been too busy searching after his son and wife; not that he cared so much for the former, but he loved his son, despite of what others may belive.

When he find finally opened his eyes he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Or rather who he was seeing. Tending to his wounds and softly washing his bloodied chest was the Gryffindor Princess herself, resident know it all, Hermione Granger;a muggleborn.

Why was she helping him? Why has she saved him? Him of all people?!

Then she spoke

"Oh! You are awake! I am so glad you woke up, I was so worried you wouldn't" she said and smiled at him.

Lucius found himself drawn to that smile. And her eyes...

"Why?"he managed to ask.

"Because, Mr. Malfoy, despite of everything you've done, you're still human and I couldn't let you to just die. Or to just leave you here alone. Even if it would have been too late, at least you would have had someone, you wouldn't have died alone. I know I wouldn't have wanted to die alone"her eyes,he noted, became hunted."That's why"she said.

He took her hand in his,making her freeze in her movements and whispered

"Thank you miss Granger"

She smiled again.

"You're welcome Mr. Malfoy"

"Lucius, please. I think you have earned the right. I don't know how many times we are going to see each other in the future, I don't know if I still have a future, but please, call me Lucius"

Hermione looked at him stunned and after just a second she whispered

"Then, I am Hermione"

Lucius smiled

"Nice to see you Hermione. How that you came here? Why are you not with the rest of your friends, but here helping me?"

She sighed at looked over to the half destroyed castle, her home for so many years;

"Because I needed to be alone. And then I saw you, covered in blood, alone and as I said I couldn't just leave you here, despite of everything you've done"

"Thank you"he said and she could see in his eyes that he really meant it.

"Draco, is Draco alright?"he asked her, hoping and praying that his son was alive.

"Yes, both your son and wife are alright"she answers,a bit surprised that he hadn't asked about Narcissa, but then she resonates that they were both Purebloods and that they were together as the result of an arranged marriage and love and care weren't a necessity.

"Thank God for that!"he exclaimed, finally relaxing.

"You didn't ask about your wife"Hermione stated staring at him.

 _So she noticed,_ Lucius thought. It seemed that Draco had been right, nothing escaped her notice.

"You're right I did not. And I don't think you need to ask why"he said.

And he was right. Hermione did know or at least suspected the reason. But she didn't dare to voice it. She just nodded and looked away.

"Well, I am going to get help. You need to see a Healer,"she said getting up to leave.

He caught her wrist.

"No!"

Hermione looked surprised at him.

"Why?"she asked even if she had her suspicion.

"I am a known Death Eater, one that fought against the light, a loyal servant of the Dark Lord and I am here, weak, hurt and with no way to defend myself. I have done many bad things Hermione, and many will want revenge. I know I deserve punishment for what I have done, but..."

She nodded.

"You're right. I am going to send a Patronus to Harry and Ron to come here and help me get you to a healer."

Lucius snorted.

"And do you think they would help me?"

"They are my friends. They will do as I ask of them. They trust me and my judgement"

He smiled. He wished he had had friends like that.

"Thank you"he said once again.

"I am only doing what anyone should do"she answered, though they both knew it was much more than that. Because not anyone would save him. Not anyone would care enough to do it regardless of what they should or should not do. And Lucius couldn't be more thankful.

* * *

Lucius woke up in a white room; he was in the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts. The healers had said that would be better if he remained there, under the care of Poppy Pomfrey,an accomplished Healer, than at St. Mungos. He was a wanted man by many and even if he had been saved from prison by Hermione and her friend's effort, he was safer at school.

Not that he complained. He was closer to her now. And to his son. He wouldn't admit, but he had started to feel something for Hermione. They had become friends after she had saved him. One could laugh that he, Lucius Malfoy, had befriended Hermione Granger a muggleborn. But he did. And he couldn't be more happy. But at the same time he felt his guilt eating him from inside. Everything that he had done ... He didn't deserve a friend like Hermione, who had suffered thanks to him and his family. Lucius winced remembering what his sister in law had done.

Well, soon to be ex-sister in law. You see he and Narcissa had had an agreement before marriage, that when their son will be ofd age they would divorce if they didn't fall in love with each other. Safe to say they had not fallen in love.

Lucius had come up with the idea, not wanting to remain stuck with her. He had known from the beginning he couldn't love one that had been thrown his way by their parents, imposed on him like that. Sure, she was good looking and she was not stupid, but for him it wasn't good enough. He had wanted to choose himself and his choice would have never been her.

And now, now it was time to act on that agreement. Draco was off age and he knew too well how the relationship between his parents was. It didn't exist. In public, at gatherings or in front of their son before he was sixteen,they were the perfect couple; the perfect parents. But they really were not.

Lucius had asked Narcissa to come and talk with him, to discuss their divorce. He knew that she had developed in time a thing for him. He called it thing, because he didn't want it to call obsession.

...

"Are you sure you want this?"asked Narcissa looking at him.

"I am sure. And you should be too. We had talked about this, Narcissa."he said.

She blushed.

"Well I thought that...perhaps ...you.."

Lucius cut her off.

"I did not. So please sign the papers. I think it's fair enough. I am not letting you on the streets with no money, Draco is old enough to cope, he already knows, so ..."he looked at her pointedly.

"Alright"she whispered and signed the divorce papers, fleeing the room as fast as possible.

Lucius sighed and stood up to close the door, but Hermione entered at the same moment.

"What was that? Why did she run?"

"I think she realized that I really have not fallen in love with her since our wedding night "

"What?"

"We just divorced,Hermione. She signed the divorce papers"


End file.
